Borlongan's research has produced multiple clinical trials for cell transplantation treatments

Cesar Borlongan

TAMPA, Fla. - Cesar Borlongan, a USF Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center of Excellence for Aging & Brain Repair, has been awarded the Everfront Award at the 10th Pan Pacific Symposium on Stem Cell and Cancer Research held in April at Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital in Hualien, Taiwan.

The Everfront Award honors outstanding research contributions in stem cell and cancer research, including pre-clinical, clinical and translational work, and is presented to a researcher at the forefront of the field. Borlongan is recognized as a world leader in stem cell therapy for stroke and his translational bench to clinic research has led to five FDA-approved clinical trials of cell transplantation, including the world’s first cell therapy in stroke patients.

Borlongan is the author of more than 370 peer-reviewed publications, lead editor of two books, and serves as editor of many scientific journals, including Stem Cells, Stroke, JCBFM, Translational Stroke Research, PLoS One, and Brain Research. In addition to being a prolific researcher, Borlongan is an AAAS Fellow and AIMBE Fellow, and serves as the immediate past president of the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair and the International Placenta Stem Cell Society. He was featured in The Lancet Neurology "Lifeline" of 2008.

Dr. Shinn-Zong "John" Lin, the Chairman of Pan Pacific Symposium on Stem Cell and Cancer Research, and the Suprintendent and a Professor of Neurosurgery at Hualien Tsu Chi Hospital presented the award to Borlongan, and noted: "Dr. Borlongan’s translational research facilitated the entry of safe and effective stem cell products from the laboratory to the clinic, which is good for the science and for treating our patients."

USF's Center of Excellence for Aging & Brain Repair is at the international forefront of research on new brain repair therapies. Research in the laboratory focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying stroke, traumatic brain injury and other neurological disorders and seeks to discover new and more effective treatments. Their work has focused on repairing brain damage from disease or injury by transplanting stem cell types and through the use of neuroprotective and neurorestorative compounds. The laboratory is home to a number of research studies funded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health.

The Pan Pacific Symposium provide a platform for doctors, physicians, researchers and clinical investigators from around the world to share new ideas on topics in stem cell research and new drug development.

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The University of South Florida, established in 1956 and located in Tampa, is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three, separately accredited institutions: USF; USF St. Petersburg; and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Serving more than 49,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.6 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF is ranked in the Top 30 nationally for research expenditures among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. In 2016, the Florida Legislature designated USF as "Emerging Preeminent," placing USF in an elite category among the state's 12 public universities. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.